Mailbag: Travelers impressed with Hoag

June 17, 2010

My family and I had the pleasure of visiting Newport Beach last week while on vacation from Canada. The beautiful scenery and the friendliness of your people made for a wonderful stay, and you should be duly proud.

You should also be proud to have a health-care facility of such quality as Hoag

Memorial Hospital Presbyterian. During our stay

in Newport I had an unfortunate fall, resulting in injury.

We went to Hoag on the instruction of our health insurer, and from start to finish it was an impressive experience. On entering Hoag we were treated promptly and with courtesy, and the level of care and treatment was outstanding. The Hoag staff was, without exception, wonderful.

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Further, the guidance from the pharmacist at Via Lido Pharmacy was very thorough and of great value.

We felt it important to acknowledge the care received that made an unfortunate injury as pleasant as possible. I am now recovering back home, and we will look forward to visiting your fine city again in the future.

Bruce Paxton

Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

Solar panels blight neighbor's views

I certainly am one of those seeing "red" with regard to the abominable industrial-size solar panels on Bayside Drive! ("Seeing red in 'green' panels," May 29)

It is located directly in front of my home and, therefore, instead of looking at a lovely natural bluff, I look at a manufactured monstrosity, and this also applies to those leaving or walking on the north side of Balboa Island.

How could the city let this happen to our beautiful community? Does just the mention of alternative energy mean "anything goes"? Why wasn't Rizzone required to "hide" the panels on his roof?

Oh, I forgot, he wanted skylights, so there wasn't room. It's interesting that Mr. Rizzone, the owner, says he loves the area because "the view is simply spectacular." Thank you so much, Mr. Rizzone … now you have ruined the view for everyone else!

The only lesson he is imparting to his children is how to selfishly sidetrack the community guidelines to get what you want. He also says "the vast number of people have been supportive." Funny, I haven't talked to one person that wasn't horrified by the visual blight!